The Shelby name is recognized worldwide but until recently it was hard for the brand founded by the late Carroll Shelby to expand overseas due to the fact that the most popular car it worked on, the Ford Mustang, was never officially sold outside of North America. That all changed when the Ford Motor Company [NYSE:F] introduced the current sixth-gen model, and Shelby hasn’t wasted any time in seizing the opportunity to offer its wares alongside the latest Mustang all over the globe.
According to Automotive News (subscription required), Shelby is in the process of signing up partners overseas to help sell its cars as well as aftermarket components and merchandise. The company also plans to form Shelby-licensed workshops where cars will be built locally by Shelby-trained technicians using Shelby’s own parts and specifications. The markets mentioned include Australia, Canada, China, the United Kingdom and South Africa.
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Shelby currently has two upgrades for the sixth-generation Mustang, both of them based on the V-8-powered Mustang GT. One is a 625-horsepower Shelby GT and the other is a Super Snake which Shelby promises will deliver more than 750 hp. There is a catch, though, and that’s the fact that in some markets Shelby will be limited in the outputs it can offer due to certain restrictions, such as on allowable emissions levels or types of modifications. In some cases Shelby will have to fit its cars with the Mustang’s four-cylinder EcoBoost engine or offer lower power outputs.
And it’s not just overseas that Shelby is expanding. Here in the United States the company is also getting into the merchandising side of things. Shelby will soon be opening stores in shopping malls, similar to those opened by Harley-Davidson and NASCAR.
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